Postgame Show: Happy Birthday, Sister Jean (feat. JuJu Gotti & Jordan Shusterman)

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That's right.

It's Thursday Thunder, and it's presented by DraftKings.

DraftKings, the crown is yours.

Juju, what's up?

What's happening?

Congratulations to everybody who made a billion dollars last week on Thursday Thunder.

Straight through the nets.

A winner, you feel me?

And guess what?

We're going to replicate that again tonight.

Congratulations, Juju.

Finally, finally, after so many two and threes, you won one.

Congratulations.

Yes, sir.

First leg, we're going with Emma Meeseman for over 5.5 rebounds tonight against the Chicago Sky.

Lock it in.

Second leg, we're going to stick with that same game because the Liberty, they just locked up in a couple vicious battles with the number one team in the league the Minnesota Lynx so I think my sister John Quel Jones she gonna take it easy tonight man big dubs man the big way we gonna go under on John Quel Jones tonight 15.5 points lock it in

and the last leg we going to Las Vegas Nevada with my sister Asia Wilson.

They got the Mercury coming in town and they're going to need her to get them rebounds.

You dig it.

So we're going over 11.5 rebounds on Asia Wilson.

Thank you.

The alarm is back.

Let me just do a little bit of cleaning up around here and bring up something I should have brought up a lot earlier today and did not to my epic failure.

Happy 106th birthday to sister Jean.

Chris Cody, do you have back there the Sister Jean happy birthday, she imaging?

Because I've only got the male version over here.

Happy birthday to her.

I don't care.

Good luck.

Also, Dan, the oldest person alive turned 116 today.

116?

10 years.

Sister Jean is 10 years behind.

She's never going to catch up.

It feels like Sister Gene has two birthdays a year, right?

I feel like we're always telling her happy birthday.

You rolled your eyes at Sister Gene's birthday.

Why did you do that?

Well, because of that.

We were talking about it here before, and I think every single person in this room agreed.

She's just like, we're celebrating her birthday two or three times a year.

It seems as though we're just making up birthdays.

I don't know why you would go negative on Sister Jean.

I'm not.

I'm not.

I'm happy for her.

Good for her.

I don't want to get to 106.

Good for her, though.

Ethel Caterham, 116.

She lives in England.

In England.

Oh, my God.

Imagine living 116 years in England.

Oh, brutal.

We can't be making Ethels anymore, right?

We failed in not talking about Paige Beckers today in all of the stuff that we were talking about, Juju.

She was amazing last night.

Yes, sir, bro.

44 points on 17 of 21 in a great game.

Well, I thought they could have pulled that game out at the end, but they had a couple of turnovers by a couple of people.

Excuse me, pardon me.

By a couple of people.

I'm drowning right now.

All right, that's a lot of people.

I'm going to need somebody to say something about it.

We've got $10.

We've got seven people around here to jump in and rescue.

I just couldn't believe that.

He's watching his own phlegm.

Watching the highlights last night, because I didn't have a chance to watch it all live.

There were a couple of plays in there that were some of the most remarkable ball handling that I've seen in that league.

I mean, she went behind the back with like a Hesse to get into the paint.

And

she became, she had the most points by a rookie in WNBA history.

First player in league history with 40 plus points on 80% field calls or better.

Highest scoring game this year.

Ridiculous game from her.

I mean, truly amazing, Juju.

Right.

It was the efficiency for me as well.

It's like timely buckets.

She was going back to back with Rakia Jackson for a while.

Then Rakia kind of gave out and Kelsey Plum took over the game, which we got to salute the big dog.

OG, Kelsey Plum, game winner at the buzzer.

That's all that matter getting a dub.

But Paige is doing something that I don't think I've seen in my adult life a rookie do, just be able to take over an entire game.

Zaslow, can I get a ruling here on whether or not, and a judge ruling on whether or not Jeremy Tashay can use Hesi because he's in a big hurry on hesitation instead of saying hesitation?

No, Jonathan Zaszlo, now presiding with prejudice.

No respect, you guys got to stand up.

Jeremy Tashay,

is he allowed to use the word Hesi?

I'm allow it.

Really?

I'm allowing it.

Look at the hesitation move.

That'd be crazy.

What are you doing?

You already get mad at me for being a broadcaster for me.

Giveable.

I'm asking for a ruling.

What a hesitation move.

I got a ruling.

Fuck it.

But Heszy, because you don't want to use the tation.

You're in a big hurry.

It's called a hezzy.

Because it's called a Hezy, Dan.

It's called a Hezzy, Dano.

All right, Choke.

It's a Hezzy.

All right, Chokey.

And with that Hezzy, that Hezzy

that Kelsey Plum made at the end of the game, it also eliminated Dallas and Chicago from playoff contention already.

So that loss was bigger than we thought.

You feel me?

Salute to Pace.

She's the rookie of the year, though.

Locked it in.

Before we get to pitch clock here, I want to update some polls, but what do you have for me on a video that we did not get to during the show of a car crashing through a restaurant on a streaming couple?

Right.

I feel like never has there been an easier layup for a lawsuit or whatever the case is that they're going to get.

I seen them on CNN.

They were streaming, if you don't know out there, tasting food.

And all of a sudden, a car crashes through the window on the couple live.

Man, what would y'all do in that scenario?

Like, what would be your first move or first call?

So you guys are going straight to the lawsuit portion of this.

So you're not, the surprise of it at least, you're going straight to strategic cashing in okay neck brace next time you see me on stream I'm like unsurprisingly my childhood best friend is a lawyer he's the first person I'm calling so all of you think you're gonna react that quickly to a car crashing into your dinner

without Hesi

thank you also

Ron Perlman was also the beast and beauty of the beast wasn't he and he looked just like the beast like I think this was there's never been a head like this we're agreeing on this are all of us saying flatly?

Are we universally discovering at the same time the reason we know and love Ron Perlman is because he's got a flat face, unlike any head in the history of cinema?

No, I have to correct you.

Nancy Reagan.

Oh.

Put it on the poll at Lebatard show.

Did Nancy Reagan have a face as long as Ron Perlman?

We don't have to put that one up.

Juju's got it.

Better head.

Do that.

Whoa.

Better head, Ron Perlman or Nancy Reagan.

We don't have to do that either

i can't believe you told a nancy reagan blowjob joke oh come on i can't believe you just got it

that is him as the beast

Spinning image.

What are the polls today?

Before we get to pitch clock here, Juju, what are the polls we have to update?

Yes, sir.

Right before the polls.

Also, congratulations to the fake Justin Bieber who got to perform in front of an entire club, got paid and everything.

Not even Justin Bieber.

Didn't Charlotte Flair get caught taking a picture with fake Justin Bieber?

Very tough look.

Yeah.

Very tough look.

Of course, you know the wrestling angle to that, Dork.

Do you like Double Entendres?

78% of the audience says yes, they do.

Of course.

Who voted no there?

All right.

Is Penn State ever really the number two team in the country?

92% of the audience says no, they are not.

Damn.

James Franklin, push-a-ha.

What is that?

Right.

The only time I ever heard push-awa is on the TV show called Ghosts, which is a guilty pleasure of mine.

I watched the entire TV show called Ghosts.

Salute to Ghosts.

But 81% of the audience says, yes, push-all to James Franklin.

And the last poll, bigger part of your Saturday mornings growing up, Bugs Bunny or Lee Corso?

56% of the audience says Lee Corso.

And those are your pose.

Pitch clock next.

I just shoveled down nachos and like two tacos.

Wow.

Welcome to the pitch clock.

Here's the pitch, a two-part baseball segment combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview interview with an expert.

This is the pitch clock.

Pitch clock is back.

Chris Cody's here.

You're not going to do it?

You're just going to stay silent after that, burp?

I just wanted to make it weird.

Do the thing.

Hi, everybody.

There it is.

All right.

You really did make it weird for me.

Taylor's here.

We both complimented his hat before we started recording, which is a rare thing for us to do.

We didn't want to give him a big head.

So the pitch clock.

We're here.

Jordan Schusterman of Sesatus Family BBQ will be with us soon as our 2025 MLB expert.

Taylor, what is our trivia game today?

We're going back to what we did last week with scategories.

The category for this time will be home runs.

Career home runs.

So you guys will get three rounds, three different letters where you have to name players with that letter.

And this time it's going to be aggregate score.

So you have to go through three rounds no matter what.

And the added wrinkle will do, if you get a double letter, double the points.

Whoa, double the points.

Okay, I used to play this game in high school.

That's complicated.

The first letter is P.

Pedro Pascal.

Peter Parker.

Silence of thinking.

Hmm, what are names that start with P?

I have four already that I feel decent.

How is that?

I mean, I have.

I have.

I don't feel good.

I'm just trying to find a double.

I'm trying to cook.

I have five.

I just don't feel good about them.

So let's just.

Yeah, it's fine.

Okay.

Jeremy, we'll have you reveal first.

All right, my first one is the youngest guy I have on here.

It's Prince Fielder.

Yeah, I have that one too.

Prince Fielder is the third best P name.

And he has 319 career home runs.

Okay.

All right, that makes me, that maybe makes me feel a little bit better about my list.

Next.

Next up, I'm going to go with one that I know is bad.

Phil Risutto.

Wow.

Okay.

Gonna have to.

It's not a good one.

How do you spell Risuto?

That's the Phil you went with, huh?

So, Phil Rosuto hit 38 career homes.

I knew it was going to be bad.

I didn't know it was going to be that bad.

I also want to say something.

Before everyone starts talking about this again, it's harder when you're doing it.

It's so much harder when the pressure's on.

This one, more than any other game, played.

Hey, guy, playing along with us.

You can just pause your podcast and think forever thinking no pressure don't be mean i'm gonna counter your phil risotto risotto i made him a dish with phil nevin phil nevin he's gotta have more than three i mean i would think so too but i didn't say i felt good about it never would have better than phil risotto you don't feel good about it

phil nevin hit 280 oh man

208

wow it's it's cooking with gas uh all right so you don't have anyone younger than prince fielder i have one younger guy than prince fielder Pete Alonzo.

Oh, my.

It's not that many.

What does he have?

Like 180 at this point?

He's definitely, I mean, he's definitely in the 200s.

Is he?

At the time of this recording.

I can't believe it.

Pete Alonzo has 254 home runs.

You know who doesn't have 254 home runs?

Pete Rose.

You wrote him down.

Wow.

That's, you actually wrote his name down.

That's.

Oh, I know.

Pete Rose, close.

Pete Rose has 160 home runs.

That is correct.

Honestly, truly better than I anticipated.

You want to give the next one?

I got a couple Pauls.

Me too.

Yeah.

I got great.

I got Moliter and O'Neal.

Yeah, I have the same.

So just not even worse.

I mean, I guess you can tell us where they're at.

Wow.

You both have the same Pauls?

Yeah, we have the same Pauls.

I mean, aren't those the two Pauls?

Like, those are the Pauls?

Are we, you know?

So Paul Molliter went deep 234 times in his career.

Not bad.

That was a guy that I just knew his name.

Didn't know if he was a home run guy.

Paul O'Neal, I'll guess, had 209 home runs i'm going 317.

281 for paul o'neil basically the split difference taylor is it 264 home run difference exactly 264 home run difference going into the second round

And now our 2025 MLB expert is here.

It's Jordan Schusterman of Cespidus Family Barbecue.

You can check out their work literally everywhere.

I feel like I'm constantly seeing what you guys are doing.

Jordan, welcome back to the program.

And you spent your weekend in Williamsport checking out everything from the Little League World Series, the Little League Classic.

Tell me about your experience in Williamsport.

What were the vibes around there?

What, you know, what were maybe two or three of your favorite moments?

It's a really overwhelming spectacle.

The thing is, you know, trying to write a recap of an event like this is really difficult because not only do you, of course, you have the game, but everything that happens throughout the day, it's just constant.

You turn around and you're seeing this moment, this interaction with a a big league or a little league, or a big league, and just a fan, or a coach, or a country, right?

That's what it's all about.

Because this is the they put the world in World Series.

I mean, we are getting real, you know, we like to call, we cover the World Series, and then, you know, everyone's like, oh, this is the world.

This is it.

No, no, no, this is it.

This is, we got 10 different countries represented and 10 different states around the U.S.

since they've expanded it to 20 teams and just that international flavor and those connections between the

Lindor and and Diaz with Puerto Rico, with the Venezuelans, with the Team Venezuela, with Randy Aros Arena, who of course has Cuban-born, but has adopted Mexico as really, he's a Mexican citizen.

He's had his kids there, like him with Mexico, Andres Muñoz, those are the moments that really stick with you.

And just getting to see those is so special.

We did a lot of AL here last week with Aden and Verk.

So I want to talk about the National League a little bit with you.

The Brewers, they've been surging.

We all know this.

They have been amazing.

And I've tried to talk about them enough here.

I've had complaints that we haven't.

I'm sorry.

But the Cubs, they have not been so amazing until sweeping a doubleheader on Wednesday against those Brewers.

But the maybe biggest reason why, outside of PCA's slump, is Kyle Tucker completely falling off a cliff.

Since July 1st, he has one home run.

His OPS has dropped by over 100 points over that stretch.

What in the world happened with Kyle Tucker here?

How should the Cubs continue to approach it?

And I mean, have you ever seen anything like this from a player of this caliber?

Yeah, you know, we've had a couple super duper stars have stretches where you're like, what is going on this year?

I mean, I think about Juan Soto, but the Soto slump was really two weeks, two and a half, three weeks.

And while it was overblown and I was not worried, it was like he was bad for a stretch.

Two, three weeks is about the max that you'll see a player of this caliber go through.

So now that we're pushing nearly two months of really poor play, it's absolutely perplexing.

And I think what makes Tucker so interesting is him as an individual.

him, his story coming into this season, going into this new team for the first time, but with free agency approaching.

And let's remember for the first two months, it was like, this is it.

This is why you trade for Kyle Tucker.

He's leading the best offense in baseball.

Oh, my God, we got to give him an extension now.

Just like trying to give him $450 million so he doesn't leave.

Like, that would be a discount.

And then it's a long season.

It's a long season.

There's a reason the Cubs are not giving him all he wants right away.

And there's a reason that he's not taking it.

Sometimes that works out in the players' favor.

Sometimes it works out in the team's favor.

I still expect Kyle Tucker to make a lot of money this offseason.

But right now, we can't be worried about that.

We got to be worried about what he can be for the Chicago cubs and right now it's a very very bad hitter now the speculation about him being injured feels warranted when you have a player this good that's playing this badly but you know people point to this finger injury that he had that was june 1st dude was awesome in june yep but i don't know man it is uh it definitely has kind of gone under the radar until this situation where he you know gets benched so that is uh that's why we had to talk about it

the second letter is going to be f

there's one that came to mind immediately.

I imagine it's the same for you, bro.

Did I think of a double?

Maybe.

I did too.

F is like a...

Kind of tough name.

What?

Do I not know names?

I don't know.

Do you?

Chris, how many names do you have?

I have six.

I'm trying to decide.

Who gets cut?

Yeah.

I only have...

I only have five.

I'll just go with these.

Okay, Chris, start us off.

OLI.

Francisco Lindor.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

Okay.

You have Lindor, Jeremy?

I have Lindor.

Okay.

Okay, so Lindor is going to be 272 home runs.

Really?

Yeah.

He has three home runs.

What?

Yeah, man.

He's the Hall of Famer.

Wow, that was a bad job of me not picking him.

I mean, I feel good about, like, four of mine mine are definitely more than him, but Lindor's 213th all time

on the home run.

I decided to go with Fernando Tatis Jr.

pick.

So, Fernando Tatis

Jr.

has 144 home runs.

All right.

Lost 100 there to you, right?

Roughly?

Yeah.

You lost 128 to me there.

Okay.

Okay.

Should we just do our double, get it out of the way?

Yeah.

Freddie Freeman.

Freddie Freeman would have been the best guess

in terms of double letters.

Freddie Freeman, you both are going to get 358 home runs.

Frank Thomas?

I also have Frank Thomas.

The big hurt going to be the second best F name, 521.

Do you have the best one?

I think so.

I'm the legendary person.

Yeah, I'm sure that I do.

Frank Robinson.

Yep.

You both have Frank Robinson.

Yeah, we do.

Wow, Frank Robinson is the top F name.

586.

Expo's manager.

That's how I know him.

You're going to win this one because we have to have that fourth one, right?

Like, you probably thought of this one.

I don't know.

Who'd you think of?

The crime dog?

Interesting.

I have a different Fred.

Okay.

I have Fred Lynn.

So, Jeremy, Fred Lynn

is 155 all-time on the home run list with 300

and 6 home runs.

What a tease.

What exactly?

What that was.

Jeez.

Man, I thought I was about to get crushed on that.

I mean, McGriff has more.

I'm going to phrase it the same way.

Fred McGriff, 29th all-time

home run list.

Christ.

With 493 home.

Oh no.

Yep.

Going into this last letter.

Chris Cody

is up 323.

It's going to be really tough for me to come.

I feel like my whole thing is I'm just going to have to go with unique names and hope that we don't have any of the same ones and somehow I have an advantage, but that feels impossible.

Phillies, because this feels like a gigantic deal that not in baseball circles, but certainly I know on our show has gone under the radar.

Zach Wheeler, one of the very best pitchers of this decade, certainly over the last five years, has a blood clot in his shoulder and does not have a timetable to return for the Phillies.

How much does this just seismically shift?

what the National League looks like here for the foreseeable future of this season?

Oh,

it's huge.

And obviously, a situation like that, you're hoping the best for Wheeler.

Yes.

Just hope that we can get him back, a guy who is having this awesome season, but is an older pitcher.

And he's been very upfront being like, I'm not going to pitch forever.

Yeah, he said he was going to retire in a couple of years.

Maybe Wheeler does come back this season.

I hope that that's true.

But even for this little stretch run, now what's fortunate for Philadelphia is that at the very least,

they're in good position to kind of cruise to a top spot in the post, like in the seating, probably regardless, because of their situation, because of what they've earned over the last couple of months.

But once we get to October, now we're having a very different conversation because that game three, that game four, you know, Christopher Sanchez is awesome.

Ranger Suarez is awesome.

Lozardo has looked awesome.

It's obviously been more hot and cold, but the upside is clearly still there.

I think the other part that how it could affect it is, okay, you look at the bullpen.

You got Durand, who's awesome.

And I picked the Phillies to win the World Series before the season.

I'm I'm still riding with them.

They've been playing great, but

this is a huge deal.

Indisputably a huge deal.

Gonna be really fun to see if Jesus Lozardo can be the guy that he has been in so many different moments of his career, but on that stage in that town as the potential number three starter for Philadelphia, I obviously have a soft spot for him as, you know, played against him in high school.

He ended my career.

He was on the mound the last time I got to pitch.

Incredible.

He was a freshman.

Yeah, man.

He was a freshman when I was a senior.

I feel like I've told the story before on here, so the people listening probably are annoyed by it.

But hey, I'm going to mention it every opportunity I get.

All right.

So, hey, are the Reds going to catch the Mets?

The Reds are interesting because they have been hovering right there.

I believe, you know, people have noted many times that the Reds have not been swept this season.

They're, I think, one of the only teams to not be swept this season.

That goes a long way, right?

Their longest losing streak of the year is four games.

Crazy.

Longest winning streak is five games.

So that's why

weird year.

They've just been, it's like they clearly have emerged from this unimpressive middle of the National League.

We are wondering: is there a twist left in this season?

Because the same 12 teams have been in postseason position basically for two months.

So wild.

And the Reds are a compelling option.

The one problem is that they have, I think, the toughest schedule remaining in baseball, or at least up there.

They're going to really have to earn it.

So I don't think that they're good enough to do that,

but you still have to give them credit for not falling on their face the way that so many of these other teams have just had two weeks of looking awful.

The Reds have managed to avoid that, and credit to them for that.

I love watching games at that ballpark in the postseason because it's such a strange ballpark for teams that don't play there often.

So I hope they have the opportunity.

One note, especially considering the Marlins, considering the NL, I did want to know our mutual friend, Danny Alvarez, and his coverage from just a couple of days ago.

First time in MLB history that two Venezuelan managers faced off against each other.

It was Miguel Cairo with the Nationals.

It was Carlos Mendoza with the Mets.

I know Danny, who, again, is our mutual friend and a friend of this program on the pitch clock, had a lot to do with getting that interview together, getting sort of the national recognition here.

I know there's stuff that's going to the Hall of Fame, potentially the Venezuelan baseball hall of fame.

So check out the coverage that he had with Alex Torbase, and I know he's staying with Jake.

So that ends up making all of this very full circle.

Jordan, make sure to go check out his stuff with Cespeda's family barbecue along with Jake.

You guys rock.

You rock individually, Jordan.

Thank you so much for taking some time to hang out with us.

Always a pleasure.

Thanks for the invite.

All right, let's send it back to this game between me and Chris.

It's not going to be a fun ending, I don't think.

The letter for the last round is D.

D as in dog.

Wow.

I mean, I've already thought.

None of these guys don't have a lot of career home runs, but I have three doubles.

Wow.

What?

I just checked the top 75.

There's seven D names.

So how is that pos?

There's room.

There's room for a comeback.

I'm really really really really really struggling All right,

hold on hold on what happened?

I thought this was called pitch clock.

I mean geez I I have no I have no chance.

All right Jeremy, we're gonna need your five.

I mean Christ.

I've got five oli's

I'm not happy with my Dante Pachette.

Oh LI.

That's funny.

I left him in there.

Yeah, that's how bad your list is.

Yeah, I know.

So Jeremy, you had Dante Bachette.

Dante Bachette had 274

career home runs.

I'll take that.

Darren Dalton.

Oh.

So Darren Dalton

had 137 home runs.

No.

Double it.

And it's exactly

Dante Bachette.

That's so important.

That's why I went with it.

Just for fun.

That is so

frustrating.

I can't even articulate.

God.

My next one is Big Poppy.

That's a good one.

I didn't have him on my list.

Really?

Oh, my God.

I know.

I went with, again,

I thought about Big Poppy.

No, I knew you would think of Big Poppy.

But the guys with the most, you got, like, why?

How are you ever going to come up with people with more than that?

David Ortiz is going to be the top D name.

541 home runs.

Yeah.

So it's over, but that's fine.

I can't overlook that one.

All right.

I got three more and they're all like old Hall of Famers.

Okay.

Go for it.

Dave Parker.

I don't even know if he hit a lot of home runs.

Just feels like a guy.

He struggled to get into the Hall of Fame, right?

Wasn't he one of those guys that took a while?

Yeah, damn.

Just like

something.

Dave Parker, 339 home runs.

Then I got Don Mattingly.

I had Mattingly, too.

I was hoping you wouldn't.

Yeah.

Don Mattingly, 222.

Oh, so that should have been my cut.

I should have cut Mattingly.

Chris, what was your fifth name?

Dave Winfield.

Winfield's a good one.

So David Ortiz was the top D name.

Dave Winfield was the second D name.

Yes.

This is 465.

I had Don Baylor.

Don Baylor had 338 home runs.

So a good guess.

I'm just not even going to write this down.

I'm just going to assume it all goes down.

Dave Stewart.

Dave Stewart had 264 career home runs.

That's a real baseball player.

My last one was just for fun.

David Justice.

Thought of him, didn't write it.

David Justice

pays homage to Miami.

305 home runs, 305.

Yep.

It's still not going to be close, but

it was a fun effort.

I'm not embarrassed by my effort there.

Everybody I picked had over 200 home runs.

I think that my big issue with this game is that I don't know names.

I've realized I don't know.

I'm a good name guy.

I don't know names.

I have facial blindness.

I have name blindness.

And apparently.

Color blindness.

Not colorblindness.

Oh, you see color?